The present disclosure relates to vehicles, namely, motorized scooters, motorcycles, and other ridden vehicles, and more particularly to a ridden vehicle having a fuel tank integrated with the vehicle frame.
Vehicles, particularly vehicles configured to be ridden such as motorized scooters, motorcycles, three-wheeled vehicles, and four wheeled vehicles such as all-terrain vehicles, have limited space to accommodate the components needed to power the vehicle. Efficient packaging of the vehicle's components is therefore desired to maintain the desired size of the vehicle. In prior systems, placement of the fuel tank has been particularly challenging because of the need to connect the fuel tank to the engine, and the need to access the fuel tank for refueling. In many prior systems, the fuel tank has been placed under the seat or between the rider's legs requiring the rider to dismount the vehicle during the refueling process. As such, there remains a need for ridden vehicles with a fuel tank that may be refueled with less inconvenience to the vehicle rider.
Prior electric scooters have utilized several different configurations each of which possess several drawbacks. In some prior designs, a low cost lead acid battery has been used; however, such batteries have limited power, extremely limited range and very limited battery durability. In other designs, higher cost chemistry batteries, such as lithium-ion, have been employed, however, these batteries are expensive and may also have limited range. Yet other designs have employed an internal combustion engine and an electric motor to alternatively drive the wheels; however, these designs are complicated by double and integrated control necessary to transition the drive system between the two power-type drives.
There remains a need in the art for a ridden vehicle that is electrically powered, but reasonably priced and with a long range of travel. The presently disclosed ridden vehicle fills that need.
Presently disclosed is a vehicle having a seat configured to be ridden and a frame configured for supporting the seat and an internal combustion engine. The frame comprises a front frame portion having a steering head, a rear frame portion configured to support at least the seat and the engine, and a lower frame portion connecting the front frame portion and the rear frame portion and adapted to support leg portions of a rider, a fuel tank integrated with the front frame portion below the steering head and configured to store fuel for operation of the engine, and a filler tube communicating with the fuel tank disposed to provide an entrance to the fuel tank in front of the steering head. In various embodiments, the vehicle may be a motorized scooter, a motorcycle, a three-wheeled ridden vehicle, a four-wheeled ridden vehicle, a snowmobile, or a personal watercraft ridden vehicle. In some embodiments, a ridden vehicle may be a vehicle adapted to be mounted by the rider, or passenger, such as with an all-terrain vehicle or tricycle.
The fuel tank may provide torsional support for the front frame portion. The lower frame portion of the vehicle may also include at least one hollow section, and the fuel tank is in fluid communication with the internal combustion engine preferably through at least one hollow section of the frame. In addition, the hollow section of the frame may be configured to store fuel for the internal combustion engine.
In some embodiments, the frame has at least one tubular portion housing a fuel line extending from the fuel tank through the at least one tubular portion to the engine. The fuel storage capacity of the integrated fuel tank may be between one liter and 7 liters, or may be between 2 and 6 liters, and may be approximately 4 liters (or one gallon) as desired. In an embodiment, the internal combustion engine is adapted to provide a drive for the vehicle, and the engine may have a displacement of at least 100 cubic centimeters or at least 150 cubic centimeters.
In another embodiment, the vehicle includes a rechargeable battery configured to be supported by the frame and to be recharged by generator powered by the internal combustion engine, and an electric motor electrically supported by the frame connected to the rechargeable battery and adapted to provide a drive for the vehicle. The internal combustion engine used to recharge the rechargeable battery may have a displacement of no more than 250 cubic centimeters, may be a displacement between 50 and 190 cubic centimeters, or a displacement of approximately 120 cubic centimeters in various embodiments. In other embodiments, the combustion engine used to recharge the rechargeable battery may have a displacement between 20 and 50 cubic centimeters, and in some embodiments 35 cubic centimeters. The rechargeable battery may be a lithium-ion battery. The ridden vehicle may also have an electronic controller that is configured to start the internal combustion engine based upon a charge level of the rechargeable battery, or in response to a rate of discharge of the rechargeable battery. The internal combustion engine may be configured to operate at a substantially constant speed while recharging the rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be a motorized scooter having a floorboard, and the rechargeable battery may be mounted to a portion of the frame under the floorboard.
The ridden vehicle may be a motorized scooter with at least one seat and at least two wheels, an internal combustion engine, a rechargeable battery configured to be recharged by the internal combustion engine, an electric motor electrically connected to the rechargeable battery and configured to drive at least one of a plurality of wheels of the vehicle, and an electronic controller configured to start the internal combustion engine based upon a monitored condition of the rechargeable battery. The ridden vehicle may also have a frame having a front frame portion supporting a steering head, a rear frame portion supporting at least the seat and the internal combustion engine, and a lower frame portion connecting the front frame portion and the rear frame portion, and a fuel tank integrated with the front frame portion below the steering head and configured to store fuel for operation of the internal combustion engine. The scooter also comprises a filler tube communicating with the fuel tank disposed in the vehicle to provide an entrance to the fuel tank in front of the steering head.
Additionally, there has been a need with ridden vehicles to protect the rider from external elements such as water, precipitation and debris, particularly from the side, or from an angle in front or behind. Various lap guard or blanket type coverings have been proposed to protect the rider's body from weather. Representative are EP1396418 A2, EP1707479 A2 and EP2113454 A2. To operate such protective coverings for two wheeled vehicles, the rider must mount the vehicle and cover themselves with the sheet. Before setting the vehicle in motion, the prior art protective coverings are secured to the front of the two-wheeled vehicle, and further secured to either the rider or to the two-wheeled vehicle. The protective covering will then rest on the rider's legs causing discomfort and inconvenience to the rider. When the rider stops and desires to dismount the ridden vehicle, the rider is forced to detach the protective covering from themselves and/or the vehicle. If during operation of the two-wheeled vehicle it starts to rain, the rider needs to stop the two-wheeled vehicle and deploy the protective sheet in order to protect themselves from the rain.
These previous protective coverings have been awkward to retract and stow. Also, such protective systems are not aesthetically desirable detracting from the visual appeal of the ridden vehicle and do not meet to the expectations of users. Further, such previous systems highly impact on the mobility of the rider, hindering the ability of the rider to mount and dismount the ridden vehicle. Such previous protective systems also hinder the rider when the rider attempts to take their leg out of such coverings, leading to increased potential for accidents and fatalities. Oftentimes, the rider needs to support the ridden vehicle by placing a foot on the ground to balance the vehicle, especially when the vehicle is running at slow speeds or stationary.
Disclosed is a retractable protective cover structure for a ridden vehicle that is easily deployed and does not present a hazard to the rider's operation of the ridden vehicle. The protective cover structure comprises at least one retractable side cover structure adapted to attach to a front portion of a ridden vehicle and to extend rearward providing a protective side cover to the rider on the vehicle. The protective cover structure may be provided on both sides of the ridden vehicle. In any case, the protective cover structure has at least one actuator adapted to deploy a side cover structure at least one side of the ridden vehicle. The actuator may be electronic, pneumatic, hydraulic, or manual for deploying the protective side covers.
In some embodiments, each protective side cover, on one or both sides, of the ridden vehicle may comprise at least one feather member having a first end and a second end, the first end adapted to attach to a pivot adjacent the first end of the ridden vehicle, and adapted to rotate about the pivot to provide a protective cover structure on the ridden vehicle. Alternatively, each protective side cover may comprise at least two feather members, where the first feather member may be fixedly mounted to the front portion of the ridden vehicle. In any event, the second feather member may be rotatably mounted to the front portion of the ridden vehicle and to the first feather member and adapted to rotate rearwardly to provide a side protective cover on the ridden vehicle.
In some embodiments, each protective cover structure may comprise a lattice frame adapted to extend rearward from the front portion of the ridden vehicle, and a flexible cover adapted to attach to the lattice frame. In other embodiments, each protective side cover structure may comprise at least one slat having a first and a second end. The first end may be adapted to pivot about a fulcrum adjacent the front end of the ridden vehicle and extend rearward, and the second end adapted to receive a protective cover structure extending substantially along the slat from the second end to adjacent the first end. Furthermore, the protective cover structure for a ridden vehicle may comprise at least one side protective cover attached to the front portion of the ridden vehicle having a first portion and a second portion, the first portion adapted to extend rearwardly to provide a protective cover structure along the side of the ridden vehicle, and the second portion to extend upwardly and laterally to provide a protective cover structure over at least a portion of a riders legs seated on the ridden vehicle.
The actuator, or actuators, for deploying the one sided protective cover or two sided protective covers structure may be controlled by a control unit. The control unit adapted to receive a signal from an activation switch, activated by the rider, and receive signals from sensors adapted to detect the speed of the ridden vehicle. The control unit may be adapted to send a signal to the at least one actuator when the ridden vehicle exceeds a determined speed, to extend the at least one side protective cover structure. The control unit may also be adapted to send a signal to the at least one actuator when the vehicle reduces below a determined speed, to retract the one or both side protective covers.